My Week: Shopkeeper

Guten Tag folks. It was a week from hell. It can only get better from here.

As you may know, last weekend was the MOVE week into a retail unit. It started on Saturday morning at 5 am, and I finished everything on Sunday evening about 11:30 pm ish. At about 1 am, at home, I thought I left the shop door open. At about 1:30 am I got on my bike to check the shop door. It was locked. Stress messes up your thinking.

Day 1

On day one as a shopkeeper, I thought to myself I have made a BIG mistake. I hated it. It was the traffic noise. I did not like the new chairs and the new desks. The new toilet was leaking! I wanted to go back to the old days. I even emailed the company I bought the desks from asking if I can return them! The fact I had very little sleep on Sunday evening did not help.

Day 2 plus

On day 2 I got up with a good night sleep. I was feeling better. I said to myself, no going back you prat. That is it. Get used to it. Things changed from here. Today, I am pleased with my decision. My own business unit and I now love working from it. I have even more or less got used to the traffic noise.

Screwed

I really have been screwed by the contractor. The Worst part is naïve me, has paid them all that was due. I did not retain x% for snags. They are many snags:

Leaking toilet

Small area of spongy flooring

Frontage has marks that I am not able to remove

The electrician has put empty data cable shells. The quotation was data cables allowing us to connect our computers through cables for even faster broadband. Hell, I was badly screwed. It depresses me.

They will NOT remedy the works unless I pay them. I even paid them for extra work done without my okay. I am angry with myself and the contractor.

I do not want anything to do with the contractor. I will get someone whom I trust to address the snags. I should have used him in the first place.

The cash outflow on the business unit is scary.

Broadband

It was only from yesterday; we have broadband. Thankfully, as advised some helpful members of AW, I used my mobile phone as a wifi hot spot. It worked, and it meant productive time was not lost. I did not mind the additional costs at all. It made us operational!

New Business?

Yes, I know the crunch question. The number of email inquiries increased significantly. I do not know whether it was as a result of the retail unit. I think some of it was. One good client recruitment. It was as a direct result of him seeing the retail unit. More will follow.

Time Wasters?

Based only one week one. We did not have any time wasters.

Looks Good?

I have put too much of myself into the retail unit. It looks great. Then it is let down by cables! My heart breaks when I see messy cables. I have ordered CPU holders to go under the desks and cable trays. It should help with cable management.